The National Association of Institutional Suppliers has given the government a 14-day ultimatum to pay an amount of GH₵30 million owed them.

According to the Association, if the government fails to respond to their requests, they will picket the Ministry of Education until they are granted an audience and subsequently paid.

Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show on January 29, the Public Relations Officer of the Association, Emmanuel Ayivor explained that the government owed them for the last two academic years - 2021/2022 & 2022/2023, as well as the current academic year.

“Government has failed to pay us on time, and it has brought a heavy burden on us. We want the government to expedite the payment with immediate effect. They should pay us, or we will actually picket the Ministry of Education,” he told host, Sweety Aborchie.

He explained that after delivering goods to the schools, it usually takes about three months for the government to pay for the supplies. However, in 2021, the government defaulted on payments, extending the initial three months to six months.

He stressed that despite countless engagements with the Education Ministry, it has not yielded the necessary result.

Mr Ayivor said the delay has negatively impacted their business as most of them secured bank loans to execute the contract, and at the moment their grace period for repaying the loans was up, and the banks have begun seizing their properties.

Also, the National Secretary of the association, Amoah Tahil said that in previous years, they gave the government a grace period, however, this time, they would not leave the Ministry of Education until they received bank alerts.

"Some are losing their businesses, their jobs. You have to come and see our shops, the machines we have bought for this business, we are losing them. Our workers are going home. It is very bad and we need to rise up, or else it will affect us," he stressed.

He emphasised that this was their livelihood, and they would not allow politics to destroy it.